BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF.: NBC took center stage today at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, but instead of upbeat razzle-dazzle, the mood was a bit subdued. Robert Greenblatt, NBC Entertainment Chairman, didn't exactly sugar-coat the state of the industry as he addressed reporters.

"In our business, flat is the new up," he said, referring to the reality of overall declining ratings trends. While NBC didn't exactly blow the roof off the ratings this past season, Greenblatt said, the good news was they stayed flat, instead of dropping.

It says a lot about the state of commercial TV that this constituted Greenblatt's good-news report. So does the motto, "The Year of Improvement," which was what Greenblatt dubbed 2013.

The network did present stars of some of its new shows, who sounded, as always, more optimistic.

* "The Michael J. Fox Show":The network is banking on viewers' affection and sympathy for Fox, who in addition to being a popular star for decades, has shown grit and dignity in dealing with Parkinson's disease.

In the new show, which will air at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday nights (it premieres with a special hour-long block at 9 p.m., Sept. 26), Fox plays a former New York City TV news anchor, who stepped away from his job after his Parkinson's diagnosis. The show follows him going back to work, and dealing with his wife (Betsy Brandt, of "Breaking Bad") and kids. The pilot shows promise, and Fox was down-to-earth in talking about how the creative team has drawn on Fox's own family experiences for the show.

Parkinson's is not something horrible, Fox said, and the show will reflect that. "Sometimes it's frustrating," he said. "Sometimes it's funny."

The cast also includes Wendell Pierce ("The Wire," "Treme"), as Fox's old boss, who wants to bring him back to work.

* "Ironside" for a new era: Debuting Oct. 2, "Ironside" is a new spin on the old Raymond Burr series (1967-75) about a brilliant detective who, after being shot, must use a wheelchair. This time, Blair Underwood plays Robert Ironside, and he's a whole lot sexier and more intense than Burr -- as you'd expect. Burr may have had gravitas, but Underwood is smoking hot.

* "Sean Saves the World": Sean Hayes' breakout role was as Jack in "Will and Grace," and in this new comedy, he plays a divorced dad who's gay and struggles with two new challenges: his 14 year-old daughter now lives with him full-time, and his new boss (a funny, deadpan Thomas Lennon) is a humorless jerk. Linda Lavin plays his mother, who comes fully loaded with quips. Premiere date: Oct. 3.

* "The Blacklist": James Spader is an FBI fugitive who comes in from the cold, surrending to the FBI but demanding he deal only with a rookie FBI profiler (Megan Boone). He provides intel that helps prevent a terrorist attack. Or does he? His motives -- and those of everyone else -- are a mystery waiting to be solved. Premiere date: Sept. 23.